I’m so glad you reposted this. For the past couple of weeks the idea of sitting & reflecting on the previous year has been present but I could not remember where the idea came from. It was you!
My husband and I discussed some questions the DePree Center at Fuller sent out for the end of 2023. Because this was a year of retirement from our full-time work for both and a year of caring for elderly parents advancing thru dementia, the ? were especially poignant for us:
1) What did I have to let go of this year?
2)What did God awaken in me this year?
3)What am I hoping for deep down inside?
Happy New Year John! Excited to see how God uses you in 2024.
Hi Tim. There were only the 3 questions which, honestly , was part of the attraction. I’ve searched for the article and haven’t found it yet. I had written these questions in my journal for the end of the year. They came from https://depree.org/ which has so many wonderful resources.
I agree, spent some time on that first one already especially in the context of what God took away, put barriers between, didnt allow, etc. Thanks for sharing Kim
That's good. I remember starting 2023 off thinking that the most important question I needed to answer was WHAT I planned on doing with my life after a career transition. By the end of the year I realized that WHAT didn't matter to me as much as WHO. Who I want to do things with was the most clarifying part of 2023
I think the concept of community was my unlock for 2023 as well. It is now my consistent prayer. We don't do community well in America, in the church, and as black men. It is God's blessing for us - like Sabbath resting, fasting or prayer - that we are not taking advantage of.
By the way, my sons and I, read your book on prayer last year. Thank you for writing it and relating it so well.
Vanessa, sorry for being so late to get back. Now that you've had time to think more about the question your friend asked, what are you doing to take care of yourself this year? Inquiring minds want to know
I’m going to play this year - laugh, dance, swim, explore, and move. I want to fully embrace joy. Thanks for asking; I’m looking forward to doing life differently.
This is so good! I've (unintentionally) been doing this during this month. Just letting January flow instead rushing into the next. Giving myself breathing room to pause and reflect.
2023 was a tumultuous year for me. I'm grateful for the lessons connected to loss, grief, joy, and beginnings. However, I know that I still need time to process the weight of all the experiences, feelings, and thoughts that happened last year.
Some Questions:
- What am I bringing into this year that still needs to be addressed?
- What am I choosing to let go of and make peace with from last year?
- How will I approach struggles, disappointments, and pain this year?
- Who will I invite to stay in my life this year? Why?
- How can I approach things from a human centered and loving perspective?
I’m so glad you reposted this. For the past couple of weeks the idea of sitting & reflecting on the previous year has been present but I could not remember where the idea came from. It was you!
My husband and I discussed some questions the DePree Center at Fuller sent out for the end of 2023. Because this was a year of retirement from our full-time work for both and a year of caring for elderly parents advancing thru dementia, the ? were especially poignant for us:
1) What did I have to let go of this year?
2)What did God awaken in me this year?
3)What am I hoping for deep down inside?
Happy New Year John! Excited to see how God uses you in 2024.
Thanks for sharing those questions. Were there more? If so, is the full list of questions available anywhere?
Hi Tim. There were only the 3 questions which, honestly , was part of the attraction. I’ve searched for the article and haven’t found it yet. I had written these questions in my journal for the end of the year. They came from https://depree.org/ which has so many wonderful resources.
Thank you! They are such great questions.
I agree, spent some time on that first one already especially in the context of what God took away, put barriers between, didnt allow, etc. Thanks for sharing Kim
These questions are great. I'm gonna throw a couple of these into the Field Notes Journal
Reflection question: Who did I have the most meaningful interactions with? What made them so significant?
That's good. I remember starting 2023 off thinking that the most important question I needed to answer was WHAT I planned on doing with my life after a career transition. By the end of the year I realized that WHAT didn't matter to me as much as WHO. Who I want to do things with was the most clarifying part of 2023
I got that question from Jemar Tisby's post: https://open.substack.com/pub/jemartisby/p/how-to-do-a-year-in-review?r=1b6rbo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web.
I think the concept of community was my unlock for 2023 as well. It is now my consistent prayer. We don't do community well in America, in the church, and as black men. It is God's blessing for us - like Sabbath resting, fasting or prayer - that we are not taking advantage of.
By the way, my sons and I, read your book on prayer last year. Thank you for writing it and relating it so well.
John, this was on my “to-read” list. Thank you for reposting.
The most helpful question? A friend asked me what I did to take care of myself this year, and my long pause answered for me.
Looking forward to having a ready response next go around.
Happy New Year, all.
Vanessa, sorry for being so late to get back. Now that you've had time to think more about the question your friend asked, what are you doing to take care of yourself this year? Inquiring minds want to know
I’m going to play this year - laugh, dance, swim, explore, and move. I want to fully embrace joy. Thanks for asking; I’m looking forward to doing life differently.
This is so good! I've (unintentionally) been doing this during this month. Just letting January flow instead rushing into the next. Giving myself breathing room to pause and reflect.
2023 was a tumultuous year for me. I'm grateful for the lessons connected to loss, grief, joy, and beginnings. However, I know that I still need time to process the weight of all the experiences, feelings, and thoughts that happened last year.
Some Questions:
- What am I bringing into this year that still needs to be addressed?
- What am I choosing to let go of and make peace with from last year?
- How will I approach struggles, disappointments, and pain this year?
- Who will I invite to stay in my life this year? Why?
- How can I approach things from a human centered and loving perspective?
EXCELLENT question. Especially the 2nd to last one. WHO questions have been much more important than WHAT questions lately!
Thank you for this!
absolutely! We need to get the band back together at Portrait. We all got a lot to catch up on